EFRI-PSBR: Microalgae Lab-on-Chip Photobioreactor Platform for Genetic Screening and Metabolic Analysis Leading to Scalable Biofuel Production

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EFRI-PSBR: Microalgae Lab-on-Chip Photobioreactor Platform for Genetic Screening and Metabolic Analysis Leading to Scalable Biofuel ProductionINTELLECTUAL MERITThe multi-disciplinary research team will develop microfluidic lab-on-chip devices with capabilities to precisely assay and manipulate parallel samples at single-cell resolution. The devices will enable the integration of multiple experimental parameters on a single user-friendly platform. These devices will then be used to analyze and optimize the growth and hydrocarbon production potential of an engineered recombinant photosynthetic microalgae. The specific test case will be a recombinant, fast growing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii algal strain that will be engineered to express a high-yielding hydrocarbon biosynthetic gene system derived from the slow-growing microalaga, Botryococcus braunii. These specific hydrocarbons produced by these organisms are of particular interest because they can be readily converted into petroleum-equivalent fuels. BROADER IMPACTSThe proposed research will have broad scientific impact because the developed microfluidic platforms will directly contribute to and dramatically accelerate research and development in the general area of microbe-mediated biofuel and biometabolite production. Educational outcomes will include training of the next generation of microbial bioenergy engineers and scientists through research, involving undergraduate and minority students, local high school students, and high-school teachers in conjunction with existing programs at the participating institutions to provide them with early exposure to science and engineering. This project will allow students from multiple disciplines (engineering, microbiology, biochemistry) to interact and gain first hand experience in interdisciplinary research.